and jack lew is in the middle of it. because democratic economic policies have not been well received by republicans in congress, and because jack lew once irked mitch mcconnell, he is, we're supposed to believe, not going to get the top tier cabinet position. we scoff in your general direction. if those do not sound like reasons substantive enough to block a presidential cabinet nomination, that is because those are not reasons substantive enough to block a presidential cabinet nomination. at least historically speaking, those are not the kind of things that keep a person out of a top tier job like that. as "the new york times" calculated today, in the history of the u.s. senate, the senate has confirmed over 500 cabinet nominations. over 500. it has denied nine out of more than 500 in gnat senate history. the last time a cabinet nomination was denied was almost 25 years ago when the senate voted down poppy bush's nominee for defense john tower after what would later be described in his obituary of public allegations of